Dehydrating apparatus.



No; 834.265. PATENTED 001?. so, 1906.-

" E. W. 000KB.

DBHYDRATING APPARATB-S.

APPLICATION FILED JAILZS), 1904.

Z11 mutton Ewes [24556,

P fwl Me a om Q .To all whom it may concern.-

UNITED STATES ERNEST WILLIAM COOKE,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE PATENT oEEIo'E.

' ASSIGNMENTS, .TO THE COKEL COMPANY, AQORPORATION OF NEW I JERSEY.

inc. 834,265,

Specification of Letters Patent. I

Patented Oct. 30, 1906.

I A pli ti fll irl'anuary 29. 1904. Serial No. 191,657.

Be it-known that I, ERNEST WILLIAM [Cooxnja' citizen of the United States of America, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have mvented-'-'certain new and useful Improvements inDehydrating Apparatus, of which 'th'e'following 1s a s'pecificatlon. My invention relates to dehydrating a pato ratus, and is more particularly designe for the treatment of'food products, both animal and vegetable, whereby the same can be dehydrated in suchaway that they can be ke t indefinitely in ti'ht packages and. then he erfectly restore to {their on 'nal undehyated condition by the simp e addition of water. I

The resent ap aratus is desi ned for a particu ar kind 0' treatnient, w 'ch is desirable some instances and which I will now explain. I

In a companion ap lication for patent,

Serial No. 191,558, file the same'day as this application, Idescribe a rat'us in which a current of dry air 1spassed through the dehydratinggchamber-from one end to the other in the opposi'te direction to that in which the trays carrying the material to be treated are fed, the construction being such that the air passes upward through one tray and downward through the next. The

entering material is thus first encountered by air which has previously passed throu h a quantity of the same or other materia and which has consequently absorbed a good deal of moisture. As thetrays areljntermittently fed through the chamber the material (1611168 in contact with portions of the air-current which contain progressively less and less moisture until finally it encounters air of the initial dryness and temperature. In my present application, however, the "material is successively subjected to the action of different currents of air the temperature and humidity of which can be independently controlled. p

Some substances require a more ra idj'dehydration at first than others, and n this apparatus the first current of air may be of any desired dryness and the subsequent currents of air may be regulated seas-to make ceding the trays.

dehydrating .appa

ily be accomplished by this apparatus. In-

fact, any number of variations in the treatment of different products can be obtained therewith.

My invention comprises, further, automatic means for pulling the trays through the apparatus at predetermined intervals of time. e

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed descript1on, taken with the drawin s, in which through the ap aratus, showing also diaammatically the automatic apparatus for- Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the apparatus. Fi 3 is a lan view of the same. Fig. 4 is a'Ion itu inal sectional view of one of the trays. ig. 5 is a side elevation of a pair of trays, showing the connecting means 4 In said figures 10, re resents the dehydratin'g-chamber as a who e, the same being divided into sections 1 2 3, &c., by transverse partitions 5, in which are transverse apertures 7 of substantially the size of the trays 8, on which the material to be dehydrated is laced,

state. 'The distance between adjacent partitions 5 is equal to an integral multiple of the length of the trays, so that when the trays are stopped the ends of a pair of adjacent tra s always come in line wit edges of the apertures 7 are provided with packing-strips 6, which contact with the ends of the trays, as shown, to make a substantially air-tight joint. The trays which move on guideways 2 may be pushed through the chamber,or they may be providedwith means to attach them to each other and be drawn through. As shown, each tray has a airof hooks17,ad'apted to engage'pins ont e preceding tray, and to the hook of the forwardmost tray is attached one end of acord 18 or the like, which is wound around a drum 19 and has a weight 20 on its other end. The drum 19 is revented from rotating by a latch-lever 21, pivoted-at 22 and engaging a stop-shoulder'23 on the drum. An electromagnet 24, the circuit 25 of which is controlled by a time each partition. T e' in connection mechanism 26, attracts the upper end of said distance equal to one tray. The magnet being Figure 1 is a ongitudinal vertical section immediately denergized again, the lever rcturns to its original position, either under the influence of gravity or a spring, and is then in position to engage the other stop-shouldcr 23. The front tray is then detached, the cord fastened to the next tray, and another tray connec on. at the other end. The oporation is then repeated.

Each of the sections 1 2 3, &c., (there being as many of them as desired,) has an airinlet 9 on one side of the path of the trays and an air-outlet 11 on the other side. The airinlets, as shown, consist of short pieces of piping leading through the side wall of the cha1nher and communicating with a tube or duct 12, connected with a furnace or air-drier 13. The pipes 9 have lateral branches 14, provided with dampers or valves15, through which outside air or air which has been artificially cooled by any suitable means can be admitted as desired to independently temper the quality of the air entering each section.

The outlets ll lead into a duet 1.6, running along the side of the chamber and com1nunieating at one end with a fan or blower 30, which draws the air through the apparatus. Of course the air may be blown through. in stead without departing from my invention, and it may equally wellpass downwardly through the trays instead of upwardly, as shown, or the air may ass upwardly through one and'dow'nwardlyt 'ough the next. I desire the term air t0 beunderstood as covering any suitable vaporous gas, as well as atmospheric air.

31 represents a thermometer in the air-i11 let and other thermometers, and also liygrometers (not shown) are preferably employed, so that the condition of the entering and leaving currents of air may be readily ascertained.

Various modifications in construction may bviously be made within the scope of my-inisention, which is set forth in the following 0 aims.

I claim- 1.. In a dehydrating apparatus, a chamber composed of a plurality of'sections separated by transverse partitions, there being an aperture in each. partition extending transversely of said chamber, longitudinal guideways lo cated onthe sides'of the chamber to register with said apertures and adapted to support and guide carrying-trays for the niaterialto V be treated, and air inlet and outlet pipes in each of said sections on opposite sides of said guideways, and means to force air through said pipes.

I 2 In a dehydrating apparatus, a chamber composed of a pluralityofequal sections separated by transverse partitions, there being an aperture in each partition extending transversely of said chamber, longitudinal guideways located on the sides of the chamher to register with said apertures, carryingfeed said forward the amount of said distance at predetermined intervals. and means to pass a' through each of said sections from one side of said trays to the other.

3. In a dehydrating apparatus, a chamber composed of a plurality of sections separated by transverse partitions, there being an aperture in each partition extending transversely of said chamber, longitudinal guid'eways lo cated on the sides of the chamber to register with said apertures, carrying-trays for the material to be treated movably mounted on said guideways the length ofone or more of said trays being equal to the distance between adjacent partitions, the ends of said trays being of'a size to substantially fill said practically a closed chamber when a tray is in position therein, means to convey an into.

each of said sections and through the material carried by the tray therein, indo endent means to control the temperature 0' the air admitted to each section and means to feed:

said trays forward at predetermined intervals of time a distance equal: to the length thereof, whereby the materialcarried by each tray may be successively subjected to the action of air at various temperatures. v

4;. In a dehydrating apparatus, a chamber composed of 'a plurality oi sections separated by transverse partitions, there being an aperture in each partition extending transversely of said chamber, longitudinal guideways located on the sides of the chamber to register with said apertures and adapted to support and guide carrying-trays for the material to be treated, a pipe and connections to convey air to each of said sections, inde )cndent means to regulate the temperature of t is air entering each section, a pi )e and connections to convey the air out of each of said sections, and means to intermittently feed the trays along said guideways, the outlet connections being on the other side of the path of the trays from the inlet connections, whereby the air is caused to pass through said' material and whereby the material may be subjected successively to the action of air at difl'erent tomperatures.

5. In a dehydrating apparatus, the combi. nation of a chamber divided into a plurality of sections by transverse partitions, each of said partitionshaving a transverse aperture, carrying-trays for the material to be treated, the length of one or more of sad i rays being equal to the distance apart of said partitions and the ends of said trays being of a size to substantially fill said apertures, whereby each of said sections is practically hermetically closed when a tray is in position therein, a pi e and connections toconvey air into each 0 said section s on one side of the tray therein, independent means toregulate the temperature of the air entering each section, and a pi e and connections to convey the air out-o each section from the other side of the tray therein, whereby the material in said trays may be subjected to the'action of air at various temperatures.

6. In a dehydrating apparatus, the combination of a chamber divided into a plurality of sections by transverse partitions, each of said partitions having a transverse aperture, carr ihg-trays for the material to be treated, the ength of one or more of said trays being equal to the distance apart of said partitions and the ends of said trays being 0 a size to substantially fill said apertures, whereby each of said sections is practically hermetically closed when a tray is in position there in, guideways in the sides of said chamber for said trays, means to feed said trays forward at predetermined intervals of time a distance equal to the length of one tray, an

' air-drier, a pipe leading from said drier inlet connections om said pipe to each of said sectlons, a valve to admit cold a1r into each of said inlet connections, an outlet connected to each of saidsections on the other side of thepath of the trays from said inlet connections', a fan and a pipe leading from said fan to rll of said outlet connections, whereby air at varying temperatures can be drawn through said sections and through the material carried by said trays and whereby said material can be successively subjected to the action of air at different temperatures. 1

' 7. In a dehydrating apparatus, the combination of a chamber divided into a plurality of sections by transverse partitions, each of said partitions having a transverse aperture, carrying-trays for the material to be treated, each of the length of one or more of said trays being equal to the distance apart of said partitions and the ends of said trays being of a size to substantially fill said apertures,

whereby each of said sections is practically hermetically closed when a tray is in position convey the air out of each of said sections,-

the outlet connections being on the other side of the path of the trays from the inlet connections, whereby the air is caused to pass through said material and whereby the material may be subjected successively to the action of air at different tem' eratures.

In testimony whereof signature in resence of two witnesses.

Witnesses:

H. HAUPT, Jr., JACOB APPELL.

have affixed my 4 E NEST WILLIAM COOKE. j 

